By Esha Chaudhuri
As the Shillong skyline is dotted with pink with just the right amount of nip in the air, a sense of thrill builds up among residents of Shillong. That’s right! It is that time of the year when cherry blossoms have mushroomed, turning Shillong city into a picturesque landscape. As the much awaited Cherry Blossom Festival commences its three-day fiesta, there also awaits much anticipation for its creative itinerary for the attendees of the fest.
This year’s one particular aspect that piqued Sunday Shillong’s interest is the ‘Japan Zone’, a designated area that showcases fascinating aspects of Japan. In this zone, one of the most striking concepts is that of the ‘Hanami’. Transported straight out of Japan to Shillong, Hanami translates to “flower viewing” or cherry blossom viewing. It simply is the act of appreciating the flower blossom, viewing a single tree or a cluster of them and enjoying the visual experience.
In Japan, the act of hanami bears historical significance as the ‘Sakura’ or Cherry Blossom was considered sacred as well as holding cultural significance. In ancient Japan, during the Heian period, the harvest of the Sakura was equated with the divine and hence huge feasts and offerings were made to the roots of the tree. The kingly class and nobles would host large feasts in its honour.
Today, the cherry blossom continues to be celebrated in Japan and hanami is very much a part of Japanese culture. Outside Japan, a number of cherry blossom festivals take place in New York, USA and Georgia. Hanami as a practice extends to countries neighbouring Japan – namely, China, South Korea and Philippines.
In a first for Shillong, organisers of the Japan Zone through TRTL Tokyo have proposed and facilitated the Japan-country partner collaboration for the Cherry Blossom Festival, 2024.
Partnering with the company, local entrepreneur Mayukh Hazarika has been the facilitator in organising this space with TRTL in the festival. The entity from Japan is building a Japan North East corridor to connect both places for development in the areas of art, culture and commerce.
Originally, in Japan, the idea of Hanami is more popular with the elderly and here the festival is majorly attended by the youth. So, how does it fit in here? The organisers believe that Hanami is for everyone regardless of age as Sakura represents the spirit of the Japanese people. However, since Japan has an ageing population, there is a false perception that it’s an activity only for the elderly. We are providing a great opportunity for the youth of Shillong to immerse themselves in Japanese culture through the artists and business we have brought here.
Apart from Hanami, some of the other traditional Japanese attractions that one could find are
Traditional Japanese food stalls, arts such as Ikebana (traditional Japanese flower arrangement), and Sumo wrestlers who date back to 2000+ years of history with martial arts. As the spotlight remains on the seasonal flowers, its merger with Japanese culture and tradition makes it a fulfilling endeavour.
